Correlation of Imaging and Histopathological Findings in Head and Neck Cancer

Objective: Head and neck cancers are diagnostically complex, with lymph node metastasis significantly impacting prognosis and clinical management. The presence of lymph node involvement drastically reduces survival rates, making its accurate detection critical. Standard diagnostic tools such as CT, MRI, and PET-CT are widely used to assess tumor extent, lymph node involvement, and cartilage invasion. However, limited studies exist correlating physical examination, imaging findings, and histopathological results. This study aims to evaluate these correlations in head and neck cancer patients who underwent surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 48 patients with head and neck cancers. Data collection included demographic details, cancer type, physical examination findings, imaging results (CT, MRI, PET-CT), and histopathological evaluations. Statistical analyses included sensitivity, specificity, and correlation coefficients for each diagnostic method, with pathology as the gold standard. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and correlation analyses were used to determine diagnostic accuracy. Results: The median age of the patients was 60.15 years (±9.57), with 41 males (85.42%) and seven females (14.58%). The most common cancer type was larynx cancer (62.5%), followed by tongue cancer (14.6%). Physical examination identified right neck positivity in 25% and left neck positivity in 16.67% of cases. CT/MRI showed right neck positivity in 31.25% and left neck positivity in 25%, while PET-CT showed 8.33% right neck and 6.25% left neck positivity. CT/MRI had the highest sensitivity (70%) and specificity (75%) for neck positivity, while PET-CT was less sensitive but complementary for cases missed by physical exams. Conclusion: This study highlights the complementary roles of physical examinations, CT, MRI, and PET-CT in diagnosing head and neck cancers. CT/MRI demonstrated superior sensitivity and specificity in detecting cartilage invasion and lymph node involvement, particularly for larger tumors. PET-CT proved useful in detecting smaller or metabolically active tumors. Accurate diagnosis requires an integrated approach combining multiple diagnostic modalities.